Regions · United Kingdom

Fractional CTO and AI architect for UK companies

Technology leadership for UK founders, enterprises and investors, with AI and data platforms designed around UK GDPR, the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 and the ICO's guidance on AI.

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Who this is for

  • Founders and scale-ups in London and across the UK who need senior technical leadership for architecture, hiring and fundraising.
  • Enterprises and public-sector suppliers taking AI from pilot to production under close scrutiny.
  • Health and life sciences teams working with clinical and research data.
  • Investors who need technical due diligence they can rely on.

What shapes technology decisions in the UK

UK GDPR remains the foundation, now amended by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in June 2025 and is being brought into force in stages12. The ICO's guidance on AI and data protection sets out how it interprets the law for AI systems, including fairness, transparency, data minimisation and individual rights34. For architecture, that means knowing exactly what personal data each model sees, why, and how a decision can be explained or contested.

Rule or standardWho it touchesWhat it means for architecture
UK GDPR and DUAA 2025Anyone processing personal data in the UKData mapping, lawful basis per purpose, and safeguards for automated decisions designed into workflows
ICO guidance on AIOrganisations training or deploying AI on personal dataDPIAs, data minimisation, security testing and explainability evidence
Security expectationsSuppliers to enterprise and public sectorBaseline controls, logging and incident response that buyers' assessments expect

Related reading: prompt injection defence, evaluation sets that predict production and ISO 42001 vs NIST AI RMF.

Typical first projects

  1. An AI readiness review that maps data, risks and the evidence a DPIA needs.
  2. Moving a RAG or agent pilot into production with evaluations and guardrails.
  3. Platform and cloud cost reset: Terraform, Kubernetes and FinOps.
  4. Fractional CTO cover through a funding round or leadership gap.

Time zones

The UK working day overlaps comfortably with Gulf hours and the US East Coast morning, so UK teams get same-day answers and joint sessions with US or Middle East colleagues are easy to schedule.

How engagements work

  • Architecture and AI readiness review (2 to 4 weeks): a clear picture of the current platform, risks and a prioritised roadmap.
  • Fractional CTO (ongoing, part-time): technical strategy, architecture governance, hiring and board-level communication.
  • Build and hand-off: hands-on delivery of a platform or AI capability, documented so your team can run it.
  • Technical due diligence: an independent view of a target's technology for investors and acquirers.

Every engagement starts with a free 30-minute call. See how I work for the full process.

References
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    Guidance on AI and data protectionInformation Commissioner's Office
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FAQ

Common questions

Do you work with UK companies?

Yes, remotely on UK hours, with on-site workshops when they add value. Most of the working day overlaps with my Gulf hours.

Does the Data (Use and Access) Act change how we build AI?

It amends parts of UK data protection law, including rules on automated decision-making, and is being commenced in stages. I design systems so the safeguards are in place; your counsel confirms how the changes apply to you.

Do we need a data protection impact assessment for AI?

The ICO's view is that a DPIA is likely to be required before using AI to process personal data. I build the technical evidence a DPIA needs.

Keep reading

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Open to advisory, fractional CTO & select builds

Let's talk about what you're building.

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